Guides
Practical guides
The first article in this section is about digitizing a family photo album. It sounds technical, but it takes more patience than technology. Almost every home has a scanner or a phone with a good camera, and the main mistakes happen not during capture but before and after it: photos get pried out by force, files get random names, the only copy sits in one place. Below is a sequence of steps that helps you avoid all of that.
A digital copy doesn't replace the original; it protects it. A photo taken out of an album should go back into the album or an envelope in one piece.
What you'll need
- A clean, dry table away from food, drinks and open windows.
- Clean, dry hands or thin cotton gloves so you don't leave fingerprints on the image.
- A scanner or a phone with a good camera, plus even, diffused light without glare.
- A soft brush for dust and a soft pencil for notes.
- A notebook or spreadsheet where you'll record the photo captions.
- Two separate places for copies: for example, a computer and an external drive.
Look through the album and decide what to remove
Page through the whole album before touching anything. Prints held by photo corners usually slide out easily, but ones that are firmly glued down are best left in place and captured along with the page. If a photo is cracking or peeling, don't pull on it: set the album aside and consider whether you need a conservator's advice.
Hypothetical example: a grandson notices that the photos on the first pages are glued in and decides to photograph those pages whole instead of tearing the prints off.
Record the original order
The order of photos in an album is information too: it was chosen by the person who put the album together. Before removing any prints, photograph each two-page spread. That way you can put everything back where it was and show your relatives what the album looked like.
Hypothetical example: a daughter photographs the spreads one after another, and later those shots show which photos her grandmother kept side by side.
Remove the dust
Brush the dust off with a soft brush, using light strokes from the center toward the edge. Don't wipe photos with a damp cloth, don't blow on them and don't try to wash off stains: the image is easily damaged, and the mark will stay for good. Clean the scanner glass beforehand so no lint ends up on the copies.
Hypothetical example: a print has an old stain, and the album's owner leaves it alone and just brushes the dust away.
Capture the front and the back
Scan or photograph each print with some margin around the edges so the whole border fits in the frame. Choose high quality: a large file is a smaller problem than a copy where you can't make out the faces. When using a phone, hold it parallel to the photo and make sure the lamp doesn't cause glare. If the back has writing, a stamp or a date, capture it as well.
Hypothetical example: a penciled name turns up on the back, and its copy goes into the same folder next to the front.
Give the files clear names
A file name should explain what's inside, even to someone who has never seen the album. A handy combination is an approximate date, a surname or first name and a couple of words about the subject. Come up with a rule once and stick to it all the way through; then the files will line up in order on their own.
Hypothetical example: the file for the back gets the same name as the front, with the word “back” added.
Caption the photos
Write down in your notebook or spreadsheet everything that's known about each image: who is in it, where and when it was taken, and who told you. If your photo viewer lets you save a description inside the file, use it, but don't rely on that alone. Mark guesses with words like “probably” or “according to” so future generations can tell verified facts from assumptions.
Hypothetical example: the caption reads “probably Uncle Nick, summer by the river, according to Aunt Val,” which makes it clear right away that this is a guess.
Keep copies in several places
Copy the finished folder to at least two different drives and keep them in different places, for example at home and at a relative's. Every so often, open the copies and check that the files still open. Transfer the captions from your notebook into a file and keep it next to the photos too; otherwise, in a few years nobody will remember where the key to the album is.
Hypothetical example: a family keeps one copy on the home computer and another on an external drive at a brother's place, and checks once a season that both still open.
Put the originals back
When you're done, return the prints to the album using your photos of the spreads, or place them in paper envelopes. An album with crumbling pages is best wrapped in paper and put in a box, and the box should go somewhere dark and dry in a living area.
Hypothetical example: photos from an album that has fallen apart move into labeled envelopes, and the cover is kept in the same box.
Common mistakes
- Tearing out glued-in photos or prying them up with a knife.
- Wiping photos with a damp wipe or glass cleaner.
- Capturing only the front and losing the writing on the back.
- Leaving files with the generic names the camera assigned.
- Keeping the only copy on a single phone or computer.
- Throwing away the originals after digitizing, assuming the files will last forever.
If something doesn't fit
- If you don't have a scanner, use your phone by a window on an overcast day, with the print on a flat, dark background.
- If the album is too fragile, stick to photographing the spreads and don't remove the photos.
- If you're short on time, start with the images your older relatives can still tell you about and set the rest aside.
Quick check
- The album has been looked through and fragile pages noted
- The spreads were photographed before taking the album apart
- Dust was removed with a brush, no water
- Fronts and backs with writing have been captured
- Files are named by a single rule
- Captions are in the notebook or spreadsheet, with guesses marked
- Copies are stored in at least two places
- The originals are back in the album or in envelopes
Articles in English
This section will gradually collect standalone articles for English-speaking readers about keeping a family archive at home: practical walkthroughs, answers to common questions and explanations of the terms you need when working with old papers and photographs.
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How pets may fit into Aion 2 progression, which details still need in-game confirmation, and what to weigh before paying anyone for pet-related help.
- What players should know about Call of Duty news, guides and game resources: Digital Entertainment
A step-by-step method for following Call of Duty news, choosing guides that stay accurate, and keeping your account safe when outside services appear.
- Dota 2: Ranked Improvement And Practice Routines — Comparison Framework
A side-by-side look at Dota 2 practice routines for ranked play, from replay study to a narrow hero pool, plus what to verify before paying for help.
- GTA 6 Story Mode Progression Guide: Editorial Overview
A careful look at GTA 6 story progression before launch: confirmed facts, series habits, completion goals, accessibility questions and outside service risks.
What we're working on
- How to interview older relatives about their lives and record the conversation so they feel at ease.
- How to sort a stack of old letters, cards and newspaper clippings: order, labels and careful storage.
- How to build your first family tree and flag the facts you're not sure about.
- How to request records from an archive and what to gather before you write.
- How to share a digitized family archive with relatives without putting the originals at risk.
How we publish
- Articles in this catalogue are written separately for each language version and are not translations.
- Some articles link to third-party websites, including gaming services; we do not control their content, prices or terms.
- We do not publish advertising for digitization services, genealogy services or shops, rankings, prices or reviews.
Further reading
- Sections
The four topics of the reference: photographs, documents and letters, elders' memories, and genealogy.
- Questions
Short answers about storing papers and photos, digitizing, genealogy and privacy.
- Reference
A family archive glossary: acid-free paper, backups, metadata, generations, the parish register.
Sources
- General guidance on storing photographs and papers
This information is current as of the date the page was prepared. Old photographs and papers vary a great deal, so handle fragile and especially valuable originals slowly and carefully, and when in doubt, it's better to leave them alone.